Path to Liberty

The states are “duty bound to interpose.” That’s how James Madison put it in his Virginia Resolutions, passed Dec 21 and 24, 1798, against the Alien and Sedition acts. They answer a timeless question: What should be done when the federal government oversteps its constitutional bounds? In this episode, learn 6 essential principles that make up Madison’s plan to stop federal tyranny. The post James...

One of the most influential Anti-Federalist essays against the Constitution didn’t come from a single writer. It came from a group of delegates at the Pennsylvania ratifying convention. Their warnings - about centralization of power, corruption, and more - might sound eerily familiar today. And make sure to stick around, because at the end, we’ll dive into what they considered federalist dirty tri...

With those unforgettable words, Thomas Paine lit a fire in the hearts of patriots during one of the darkest moments of the American Revolution. First published on December 19, 1776, The American Crisis was more than just an essay - it was a rallying cry that turned despair into victory. And it was filled with timeless wisdom that we can all find inspiration from today. The post These Are the Times...

The natural right of self defence is one of our most essential rights, part of the first law of nature. But that hasn’t stopped governments from violating it. So the founders told us over and over that it’s up to us - the people of the states - to protect and defend our own constitution and our own liberty - whether the government likes it, or not. In this episode, we’re applying their principles...

"Tyrants care nothing for discussions that are to end only in discussion." Lysander Spooner didn’t pull any punches. He knew that words without action were meaningless in the fight against tyranny. In this episode, we’ll dive into some of his most radical and powerful takes on the Constitution - his ideas matter now more than ever. The post Lysander Spooner: Radical Truths on Tyranny and the Const...

Liberty is doomed where power is united - consolidated in the same hands. That’s the warning Montesquieu gave us about separation of powers. This was one of the biggest battles between Federalists and Anti-Federalists But here’s the twist: both sides used the exact same words to support opposite arguments. In this episode, we’re diving into this critical debate over the ideas of the most-cited pol...

Rights don’t come from a constitution, a bill of rights, or any document at all. Your natural rights - come from your creator - and you have them by the nature of your humanity. Even civil rights - are built on the foundation of natural rights. These were widely-held views from the founders and old revolutionaries. The post Rights Are Not Gifts from Government: The Founders’ View appeared fi...

Division of power, precedent, the right to resist, and more - essential - and totally forgotten - principles that fueled the American Revolution. They’re all drawn from John Dickinson’s 1767 Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania. Totally forgotten and ignored today, but they were the most widely-read writings on American liberty prior to the War for Independence. The post 4 Forgotten Principles Th...

The founders knew that an armed society was essential to preserving liberty - because they lived it first hand. In fact, this was one of the most critical lessons they passed down to us. In this episode, learn some powerful views from leading founders and old revolutionaries on the right to keep and bear arms as a natural right, on the role of the militia as a defence against both foreign and dome...

The Founders warned us - over and over again - that power always expands, no matter who holds it. So, you can’t trust anyone with power, no matter how much you like them or what they do, because that same power will eventually fall into the hands of someone hell-bent on destroying your liberty. In this episode, you’ll learn some of the most powerful warnings from the Founders about the dangers of...

His writings had far more influence on the debates over the Constitution than the Federalist Papers we hear so much about today. In this episode, learn his top-4 arguments for ratification, including a clear line in the sand on delegated and reserved powers, the true source of government power, the militia, and much more. The post Forgotten Founder Tench Coxe: The “Other” Federalist Pa...

“I would wish the debt paid tomorrow; he wishes it never to be paid, but always to be a thing wherewith to corrupt and manage the legislature.” This slapback from Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson was aimed squarely at Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. These two - along with Edmund Randolph and Henry Knox - made up Washington’s first cabinet, a group filled with some major ideologica...

"We cannot be happy without being FREE." Those words come from John Dickinson, who saw LIBERTY as the foundation of everything else. Once almost as famous as Benjamin Franklin, Dickinson is almost totally forgotten today. Known as the “Penman of the Revolution,” he was a fierce defender of natural rights, the father of the Articles of Confederation, a leading opponent of the Stamp Act, a supporter...

"A nullification of the act is the rightful remedy." That’s how Thomas Jefferson put it in his draft Resolutions against the Alien and Sedition Acts. On November 10, 1798, the Kentucky legislature passed resolutions based on his principles. They not only reaffirmed the Constitution’s structure a strict line between delegated and reserved powers, but also laid out how to defend it against violation...

It’s time to walk the walk. Right now, the Constitution is treated as little more than an optional guide - at best. Or toilet paper. In this episode, learn the top-5 most crucial steps an oath-keeping president should take to radically protect and defend the Constitution - starting now. Path to Liberty: November 8, 2024 The post President OATH to the CONSTITUTION: 5 Steps to Protect and Defend NOW...

This principle - central to the American Revolution - has been almost totally forgotten and ignored. On this episode, we’re uncovering powerful warnings from leading Founders and Old Revolutionaries about the dangers of compliance with usurpations of power. And a century later, the radical Lysander Spooner took up the same cause, fiercely defending these principles of resistance to defend liberty....

"If their duty, their honor, and their oaths will not bind them, let us not put into their hands our liberty, and all our other great interests." Those are the words of Gouverneur Morris, the penman of the Constitution. Today, despite that warning - politicians ignore that oath every day - and the people keep letting them get away with it. The price is our liberty. The post Oath to the Constitutio...

Refuse to comply. That’s exactly what the people did to bring down the Stamp Act once it went into effect on November 1, 1765. We’ve all heard about the fiery protests and the bold resistance, but there was so much more to the story. On this episode, learn their hidden strategies of defiance - the methods they used that government-run schools never talk about. These are the same strategies the fou...

Repealing the 17th Amendment is the right move to help restore federalism - but is it enough? The Anti-Federalists warned us about dangers in the Senate’s structure long before the 17th came along, and without understanding those warnings, we could still end up with the same problems: corruption, power grabs, and more centralized control. The post Repeal the 17th Amendment: Ignored Anti-Federalist...

On his very last day in office, James Madison shocked Congress by vetoing an infrastructure bill - even though he supported the idea behind it. Madison refused to sign off on the measure, saying it didn’t follow the strict limits of the Constitution, even if it aligned with his own political goals. This might be the most important - and most ignored - veto in history. The post Most Important (and...

A deep dive into six key differences that demonstrate how the Articles were much closer to a pure system of federalism than the Constitution for the United States. We’ll cover topics like representation, the executive branch, the taxing power - and more. The post Articles of Confederation vs Constitution: 6 Key Differences You Need to Know appeared first on Tenth Amendment Center .

This government “will swallow the liberties of the people, without giving them previous notice.” That’s the stark warning Patrick Henry gave us in 1788. In a series of fiery speeches, he laid out some of the most powerful anti-Federalist arguments against the Constitution—predicting all kinds of abuses of power and the eventual destruction of liberty. In this episode, we’re breaking down six categ...

“The active business of the American Revolution began in Philadelphia.” That’s what Benjamin Rush and John Adams believed - because the spark that ignited the Boston Tea Party wasn’t in Boston. It was lit in Philadelphia on October 16, 1773. This forgotten piece of history involves fiery protests, bold resolutions, and even letters from the Committee on Tarring and Feathering. The post Boston Tea...

“To these grievous measures, Americans cannot submit.” That’s the bold declaration that helped spark a coordinated resistance across the colonies in 1774. On this episode, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress, we’ll dive into what turned out to be not only a precursor to the Declaration of Independence, but the bill of rights too. Th...

"A vile and arbitrary aristocracy or monarchy" - that's what the Anti-Federalist writer Cato warned we'd get. In a series of seven essays, he laid out his strongest arguments against ratification of the Constitution, predicting all kinds of abuses of power, and the destruction of liberty. In this episode, we’ll break down his forgotten warnings - which just might be more important than ever today....